BAPHOMET (2021) Reviews and overview

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‘The ultimate terror has awakened’
Baphomet is a 2021 released horror film written, produced, directed by and co-starring Matthan Harris (For We Are Many; The Inflicted; short: They Came from Hell).

The movie also stars Giovanni Lombardo Radice (Everybloody’s EndThe Omen 2006; House on the Edge of the Park; City of the Living Dead), Dani Filth (Cradle of Fear), Rebecca Weaver,  Hollywood Lee DuPree, Reilly Jacquemin, Gerald McGrory and Ethan Edwards.

Plot:
A family in Northern California are celebrating their twenty-four-year-old daughter’s pregnancy. The celebration is interrupted when a satanic cult leader, Henrik Brandr (Giovanni Lombardo Radice), unexpectedly visits their ranch. Henrik offers to pay the family a large sum for ownership of their land, claiming it is sacred to his congregation.

Jacob Richardson, the father, rejects the offer due to the priceless sentimental value of the ranch. Henrik, displeased, begins to put devastating curses on the Richardsons, trying to force them off their land – even if it means murdering them.

After suffering unexplainable tragedies, the Richardsons seek help from Marybeth, a white witch high priestess. They soon discover a terrible secret about their house, revealing why their land is sacred to the cult. They realize they must protect their house from the cult at all costs, and a violent battle between good and evil ensues…

Reviews:
“The premise revolves around a satanic cult who puts a curse on a family that refuses to sell their land to the satanic cult. And though the opening setup is well-executed and there’s an ample amount of gory moments. The result is a film that gets bogged down in predictability.” 10K Bullets

“Horror fans will be treated to the following set-pieces: an opening sacrifice to Satan, shark attacks, journeys to Hell and witchcraft. I got a mild kick out of it because the acting was so stiff, the story was unintentionally funny and the climax gunfight between the forces of good and evil gave it a false western flavor.” Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

” …this is laughably earnest in its melodramatics. The performances are on the level of a daytime soap opera, which makes for some cheap chuckles when the plot contrives the necessity for Weaver to dig up her maimed, rotting husband for the sake of a ritual. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, an embarrassingly charisma-free Dani Filth shows up to (literally) Skype in his role…” Horror Screams Video Vault

“There are some good creepy set-pieces and a solid sense of dread throughout much of the film as the threat from the Satanists grows. It looks better than you would expect and builds atmosphere quite impressively – and despite some lengthy moments of no much happening, it manages to keep the narrative moving along at a steady pace.” Warped Perspective

Release:
Baphomet will be released in the USA by Cleopatra Entertainment on June 8th, 2021, on VOD Platforms and also as a Blu-ray + DVD combo.

Production:
Filmmaker Matthan Harris commented: “Baphomet is a hellish rollercoaster of demonic and supernatural terror. I started pre-production for it back in 2013 and it has been my labour of undying love ever since. I’ve poured everything I could into this monster of a movie, and I’m so pleased that we can unleash this horrifying beast upon the world this year!”

Musician/actor Dani Filth added: “I really liked the idea of it. The script was good. It seemed genuinely interesting, esoteric. The premise is great, and I quite liked the idea of the character I was playing… haggard and highly intelligent. It’s kind of apt, you know. I wouldn’t say it’s tongue-in-cheek, I wouldn’t even say it’s role reversal, but it’s similar in the way that Ozzy played a priest in Trick or Treat. It’s playing with the genre, mixing it up a little bit, and I think it’s cool, yeah. I think that I’m cut out for the role of an occult investigator, occult philosopher, etcetera. I could see myself actually doing that role in real life.”

Background:

Baphomet is a term originally used to describe an idol or other deity that the Knights Templar were accused of worshipping and that subsequently was incorporated into disparate occult and mystical traditions. The name first came into popular English usage in the 19th century, with debate and speculation on the reasons for the suppression of the Templars.

Cast and characters:

Colin Ward … Jacob Richardson
Rebecca Weaver … Rebecca Neville
Matthan Harris … Mark Neville
Ivy Opdyke … Elena Richardson
Giovanni Lombardo Radice … Henrik Brandr
Charlotte Bjornbak … Marybeth
Gerardo Davila … Sheriff Windley
Dani Filth … Lon Carlson
Stephen Brodie … Aksel Brandr
Nick Principe … Amund
Larry Jack Dotson … Doctor Bentley
Aaron Bitzer … Deputy Adams
Sean Hubbard … Deputy Johnson
Jacob McGregor … Deputy Vinson
Gabe Saenz … Deputy Hernandez

Filming locations:

Marina Del Rey, Malibu, Encino, and Los Angeles, California
London, England

Technical details:

72 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1

Fun facts: 

The teaser trailer for the film won the Bronze Remi Award for Best Movie Trailer at WorldFest-Houston Film Festival 2017.

We originally posted about the movie being in production on November 11th 2016. However, it is not clear when it was actually fully edited and completed.

Trailer:

Dani Filth interviewed about his role:

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